Moler's Musings

This post is going to look a little different because, well… the week looked a little different. About 12 inches of snow different.

Monday and Tuesday disappeared thanks to winter weather, and Wednesday through Friday were all late starts. So instead of our usual rhythm, we had a shortened, stop-and-start week right as we were beginning our Constitution unit. Not ideal timing, but sometimes you just roll with what you get and adjust on the fly.

Wednesday

We officially kicked off the Constitution unit Wednesday. Normally, I teach Federalists and Anti-Federalists right after the Constitutional Convention, but this year I’m trying something different. We’re going to move through the principles of government first and then circle back to those debates later. We’ll see how it goes. Sometimes changing the order helps ideas click better, and sometimes it just teaches me what not to do next year. Either way, it’s worth trying.

To get us started, I used questions pulled from the U.S. citizenship test focused on principles of government. I asked ten questions out loud and told students the goal was six correct answers, just like the traditional citizenship test requirement.

I also told them that the test changed this past year. Now there are 128 questions, some are worded in confusing ways, and several feel unnecessarily political or outdated in language. One thing I noticed was the repeated use of the word “alien,” which is outdated and dehumanizing. The new version also asks twenty questions instead of ten and requires twelve correct answers to pass.

So for classroom purposes, we stuck with the old format. Ten questions, six correct to pass. Clean, simple, and it gets the conversation started without bogging things down.

Thursday and Friday

Because of late starts, I saw half my classes Thursday and the other half Friday, so both days followed the same plan.

We began by looking at how the Constitution is organized. I briefly walked students through the Articles so they could see how the document is structured. We talked about how Article I reflects the Great Compromise and why Congress takes up the largest portion of the Constitution. This overview only took about five minutes, but it helps students see the Constitution as an organized framework rather than just an old document.

After that, we jumped into Quizizz for a Mastery Peak game focused on principles of government and related vocabulary. It’s a great way to check what sticks and what doesn’t. As usual, a few terms tripped students up, so afterward we talked through memory tricks.

For example, when students struggle with federalism, I remind them that “federal” refers to the national government, and the “ism” stands for “individual states matter.” It helps the idea stick, power shared between national and state governments.

To wrap things up, students moved around the room in pairs looking at quotes and images posted on the walls. Their task was to decide which principle of government each example represented and justify their thinking to their partner. It forced them to talk through their reasoning rather than just guess.

Huge thanks to Dominic Helmstetter for sharing that activity idea with me. It’s simple, but the discussion it creates is where the real learning happens.

My Favorite Thing This Week

My favorite thing from the week came from my 6th grade class. Their textbook included a writing activity where students had to write a story featuring a factor that pushed someone to migrate. As I was looking at it, I immediately thought, this would make a great Sketch and Tell comic instead of just another paragraph.

The activity also asked students to trade stories and guess which migration factor was being described, political, environmental, economic, or social. That got me thinking this would also make a Great American Race style activity.

So instead, I had students create a comic, place a number at the top of their paper, and privately tell me which factor they used. On Monday, I’m going to copy them all, put them in order, and have students rotate through them in a Great American Race format where they read each story and try to identify the migration factor.

I’m sharing this in hopes it helps others think about how activities like this could work in both American history and world history classes. Sometimes the best tweaks are just small shifts that turn a writing task into something more creative and interactive.

One Last Thing

I’ve been posting a lot of quotes on Facebook lately. Part of the answer is simple. America’s 250th birthday is right around the corner, and it feels like a good time to revisit the voices that shaped the country in the first place.

But honestly, it goes deeper than that. We are so far removed from the founding of this country that many of the founders’ actual words have faded into the background. Most people recognize lines like “Give me liberty, or give me death,” or “All men are created equal,” or “We the People.” But beyond those familiar phrases, so much of the thinking, debate, and warning contained in their writings are forgotten.

Social studies often gets squeezed in schools, and when that happens, the ideas and discussions that helped shape the nation get reduced to quick sound bites (or nonexistent) instead of real reflection. We sometimes accept simplified versions of history instead of wrestling with the real meaning behind the country’s founding ideals.

And to make things even messier, plenty of quotes floating around online were never even said by the people they’re attributed to. So part of what I’m trying to do is share real words, from real documents, written by the people who were actually there.

So I’m going to keep posting them. I’m committed. I’m locked in.

It’s not political. It’s to get people thinking. And honestly, if a quote makes someone uncomfortable or frustrated, I think the better question is, why? These are the actual words of the founders and framers. Sometimes there’s a lot of irony in reading them today, but they’re still worth wrestling with.

At the end of the day, getting people to pause and think about where the country started and what those ideals meant is part of the job. And maybe, just maybe, it helps us think a little more carefully about where we’re headed too.

Tuesday

After a long weekend, we jumped back into our Text Quest and focused on the Three-fifths Compromise and the compromise over the Atlantic slave trade. To check what stuck from last week, we opened with a Quizizz. Class averages came in at 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, and 94%. I will take that. We are trending up and holding onto content.

Next, I handed out a short reading on compromises over slavery. It was written in a clear cause and effect structure, so I paired it with a cause and effect organizer: problem in the middle with four causes and four effects. It always surprises me how challenging this is for students because there are no multiple-choice answers or fill-in-the-blanks. Many of these students are used to circling A, B, C, or D, filling in pre-made notes, or copying from a slideshow. When the task shifts to deciding what matters, some of them freeze. The good news is that they are getting used to my style and slowly learning how to figure out what is important. My goal is not just to get them through the content. I want them thinking about history and how it relates to them.

After about ten minutes, we shifted into My Short Answer using the Quick Write feature. I gave everyone a poorly written paragraph and asked them to fix it with better information. The only criteria I set in the AI feedback tool was “clear explanation of content.” Since this was our Bonus Battle for the Text Quest, I created a scoring system based on the feedback ratings: beginner earns 1 point, intermediate earns 2 points, and advanced earns 4 points because advanced is actually hard to achieve.

The motivation was real. Students genuinely wanted to earn points for their teams, so they slowed down and wrote with purpose. The improvement from the original paragraph to the revised version was noticeable, and the teamwork energy was exactly what I hoped for. Overall, it was a strong day.

Wednesday and Thursday

Daily Debate: How Should We Choose a President?
To close out our Text Quest, I shifted into how the United States chooses a president and the compromises behind that decision. For our final daily debate, students had five minutes to work with their groups and write a claim with evidence and reasoning about how the president should be chosen. I framed it as the 1790s. There are no phones, no television, people are disconnected from each other, and news travels slowly. The three choices were direct popular vote, Congress chooses, or state legislatures choose. Five minutes went quick, but students debated, wrote, and defended their arguments. I collected their cards, read them aloud, and ranked first through fourth place finishers.

Pre-Simulation Scenario and Discussion
For our final Bonus Battle, I needed something lively. The students have been buzzing all week because a big snowstorm is on the way. I try to match student energy and adjust lessons instead of forcing something that will not land. Before the simulation, I put a scenario on the board:

Two presidential candidates run. Candidate 1 gets 66 million votes. Candidate 2 gets 63 million votes. Who wins?

Most students made faces at the question and at me. I told them it was not a trick. Almost everyone agreed Candidate 1 should win because they had more votes. That is how most games work in their world. Score more points and you win. Then I revealed that the scenario was Clinton vs Trump in 2016. Confusion followed, which was perfect. I explained that the founders essentially blended all three options from the daily debate into the Electoral College system. Citizens cast votes, states hold certain numbers of votes based on representation, and electors officially cast votes on behalf of the people.

Electoral College Simulation (I cannot share this file)
Then we ran the simulation. Students paired up with someone from another team. Each pair received dice and a sheet with twenty-six rounds. A slide told them to roll the dice. The highest roll won the round. The next slide showed two unlabeled state outlines. The highest roller chose left or right or named the state. The other state went to the lower roller. Then I revealed the electoral votes. The race to 270 was loud, competitive, and fun. When we reached California, which everyone wanted, there was a twist. The highest roller thought they secured it, but then I required a reroll to simulate a recount. Sometimes they kept it, sometimes they lost it. The reactions were priceless. After the final state, I totaled all electoral votes and averaged them by team to determine first through fourth place.

Reading and Frayer Model
I rarely assign homework because I understand how middle school homework actually plays out. This time I sent home a reading on the history of the Electoral College. I attached a Frayer model with four prompts: Define, Why was it created, How does it work, and Effects and outcomes.

Annotate and Tell with Hamilton
To close the loop, I assigned an Annotate and Tell with Hamilton’s Federalist 68 in support of the Electoral College. I included two guiding questions to anchor their thinking:
• What problem was Hamilton trying to solve with electors, and what does this tell us about his view of the people and the presidency?
• Which parts of Hamilton’s concerns no longer apply today, and which still do?

Overall, these two days mixed debate, simulation, reading, annotation, and writing. The students handled the shifts well and it was a strong finish to our Text Quest.

Friday

Friday was all about getting students up and moving again. The energy level has been high all week because everyone is watching the weather and talking about the snow, so I needed something physical and fast that still hit content. I set up a Resource Rumble by placing eight envelopes around the room and giving each group a recording sheet. Each envelope had a different task connected to what we have been learning. Students moved to an envelope, completed the task, and then brought their sheet to me for feedback. If their answer was good enough, they earned a dice roll.

The dice roll let groups collect that many Jenga blocks. The goal was simple: build the tallest tower in the room. It created a fun mix of academic checking, instant feedback, fast movement, and problem solving. Groups had to talk through their answers, agree on what to write, and then sprint back to build before another group passed them. There was zero down time and everyone was involved.

This matched the energy of the day perfectly. Students were lively but focused, and it gave them a productive outlet for all the snow day excitement. It was a great way to end the week.

Lessons for the Week

Tuesday – Three-Fifths Compromise Reading

Wednesday and Thursday – Electoral College Reading, Frayer and Annotate

“Hey, send me a picture of the homework that you finished when you get home.” That was a text I overheard this week and it hit me. Sometimes I feel the pressure in my new school to give homework. I was told it is an expectation. But I do not always give homework because I try to use our class time wisely. That quote only affirms why I do what I do. It affirms why I think homework is usually useless. Kids know how to play the game.

It is also why I barely give traditional multiple choice or short answer tests. I focus on more creative assessments that make kids think and produce something meaningful. This week wrapped up our Articles of Confederation mini unit with a Graffiti One Pager assessment. I gave them Monday and Wednesday to work on it. I genuinely believe that when students know they have time in class to work, it cuts down on the screenshot hustle and sharing answers.

Beyond that we moved into the Constitutional Convention. This week I decided to gamify it and layer in some EduProtocols to build skills without the drag.

Monday and Wednesday

Monday and Wednesday were focused work days. Students worked on their One Pager where they shared their opinion to the question: Were the Articles of Confederation a failure. The One Pager was designed as a graffiti style page that forced students to weigh both sides. On one hand the Articles created a weak national government that struggled to do basic things like tax, regulate trade, or respond to rebellion. On the other hand the Northwest Ordinance became a blueprint for how to admit new states and ban slavery in the Northwest Territory. That tension is where the learning actually lives.

The directions asked students to create a title that answered the question, include three illustrated symbols, include three key words, and include two evidence statements that supported their position. Students could use class notes, readings, stations, and discussions to build it out. A lot of kids titled theirs around the extremes which was interesting. I saw titles like Government Without Power or Quiet Success or The Imperfect Confederation. To me that is a sign the task worked because students were not parroting the same take. They were picking a lane and supporting it.

The best part was watching students think through symbols and evidence. It is easy to say the Articles failed. It is harder to sketch out something that represents weak trade or Shays Rebellion or new territory rules and then explain why it matters. When students had to put two pieces of evidence on the page they had to remember where in the mini unit that evidence came from and how it supported their claim. That is synthesis and that is what I want.

Giving two full class periods for a creative assessment also reduced the stress and the sneaky pictures. They knew they had time. They knew they had access to resources. There was no benefit in asking for a photo to copy because everyone had space to think and create.

Tuesday

Tuesday was a risk day. I decided to gamify the Constitutional Convention. I have weeks where I feel stuck and not very creative. I do not take chances like I used to. But this week I said to hell with it and took a chance. I brought out Text Quest from EMC2learning. I used to run these all the time and I forgot how much I love the structure. Text Quest comes from the Ditch the Lecture series on the EMC site. Each class period is called an episode and it has two parts. The Daily Debate and the Bonus Battle. I provide a backstory for each episode so I am telling a story while we learn.

I put students into groups of three or four and launched my Text Quest called Compromise Chaos. For our first episode we set the stage by introducing the Constitutional Convention. The Daily Debate question was tiered for easy, medium, and hard responses to help every kid enter the conversation. Students had to decide how they would have proceeded at the Convention. Keep the Articles as they are, scrap the Articles and start fresh with a new government, or make minor changes to fix the weaknesses. They wrote a claim with evidence and reasoning. I read them out loud, gave real feedback, and ranked the groups in first, second, third, and fourth place. The winning team earned an advantage for the Bonus Battle.

For the Bonus Battle I gave students a one page reading about the Convention. It covered the basics like where it happened, who showed up, when it happened, what the goal was, and why Rhode Island refused to send delegates. Students read it first and highlighted anything they felt mattered. Then we moved into a 5xGenre challenge. I had eight genres posted on the board and students had to write about the Convention in five different styles. Genres included informational summary, narrative, rhyme, point of view from Rhode Island, metaphor, headline, letter, and checklist. The advantage for the Daily Debate winners was they did not have to roll dice and could pick any five genres they wanted. Everyone else rolled for their genres.

The flow was simple. I rolled the dice. I had 8 styles/genres – informational, narrative, POV, angry tone, rhyme, haiku, persuasive. Let us say Point of View Rhode Island came up. Groups had three minutes to discuss what a Rhode Island perspective would sound like. After the timer they passed their work to a new partner in their group. I rolled again and we repeated the cycle. It was fun and it felt new. Kids were arguing about wording and laughing about Rhode Island being the stubborn holdout. Time flew by and for the first time in a while I felt like I was taking a creative swing again.

Thursday

Thursday was Episode 2 of Compromise Chaos. This episode focused on the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and how Roger Sherman glued those ideas together into the Great Compromise. The story continued right where Episode 1 left off. Delegates knew the Articles were too weak, but no one agreed on how to fix Congress. The slides helped set that scene. Large states pushed for representation by population. Small states pushed for equal votes. Everyone feared getting steamrolled.

For the Daily Debate I had groups create three Thin Slides on Padlet. One for the Virginia Plan, one for the New Jersey Plan, and one for the Great Compromise. Same rules as always. One picture, one word, and an explanation. The goal was clarity, accuracy, and creativity. I ranked the groups again and gave out first through fourth place. The winning group earned an advantage for the Bonus Battle.

For the Bonus Battle I introduced Social Studies Sudoku. It is a 6 by 6 grid with Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan, Great Compromise, Large States, Small States, and Bicameral going across the top and down the side. Groups had to work together to make as many unique connections as possible. They had to know who liked which plan, who benefited, and how the final compromise blended both sides. It was a simple format, but it slowed the content down enough for kids to process how these three topics actually connect. This is the type of activity that replaces a worksheet without feeling like work. Kids were debating answers and checking logic instead of zoning out. It made for a strong finish to the episode.

Friday

Friday was supposed to be our jump into the Three Fifths Compromise, but attendance was rough. Too many kids were out and I did not want to introduce a big new concept with half the class missing. So I pivoted.

Instead of starting new content, we ran a Nacho Paragraph on the Great Compromise. I handed out a paragraph filled with eleven factual errors. Looking back I should have told them to amend the paragraph instead of just find the errors, but oh well. The point was to review the Great Compromise and make sure they understood who wanted what and how the final deal worked.

This served as our Daily Debate. Groups had to find the errors and correct them. The most found and corrected all day was ten. That made it easy to separate groups into first, second, third, and fourth place. For the Nacho Paragraph I brought out chips and salsa because why not. If we are doing nachos we might as well lean into it.

Instead of a Bonus Battle, we took a side road and ran a Quizizz that reviewed the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, Shays Rebellion, and the Northwest Ordinance. It was a nice check on what stuck from the last few weeks. The top five finishers earned five extra points for their team. Class averages landed at 75%, 85%, 80%, and 92%. It was a good way to end the week without rushing new content or punishing the kids who were out.

Lessons for the Week

Monday and Wednesday – One Pager Directions

Tuesday – 5xGenre, Text Quest

Thursday – Social Studies Sudoku,

Friday – Nacho Paragraph

This was our first week back from winter break, and I’m going to be honest. There are days where I feel exhausted and stuck in a rut. Some days it feels like I’m doing stuff just to do it, and other days it feels purposeful. Some days I feel like I’m lacking creativity. I’m just tired.

As my friend Dr. Scott Petri used to say, “Moler, your worst days of teaching and lessons are someone’s best day.” Some days I remind myself of that, just to get perspective. None of this may seem like it when you look at what I post or the lessons we do, but I’m trying. I’m being transparent about where my headspace is, even if it’s not pretty.

Another layer to this has been the feeling of being restricted by the lack of access to tools I would normally use. I can’t use EdPuzzle unless I show it to the whole class. I can’t use Class Companion for feedback. I could use Snorkl, but I always feel like watchful eyes are in the background checking what students are accessing, so I’ve been avoiding that too.

Students have to sign in through Clever, and it takes forever. When they close their Chromebooks, the whole process resets. I’m not exaggerating — it takes two to three minutes for a full login. That two to three minutes adds up to a wasted 15-30 minutes a week. It bothers me.

But other than that… we began the Articles of Confederation, Shays’ Rebellion, and the Ordinances this week.

Monday

Last year I realized something about the Articles of Confederation: before I teach them, I actually need to teach systems of government. To me, the Articles are basic — weak national government, couldn’t do much, states held the power, blah blah. But a lot of students learn those things without having any clue what a confederation even is. They don’t know what a republic is. They don’t know that we fought against a monarchy. They don’t even realize they say “and to the republic for which it stands” every morning, Monday through Friday. Despite all of that, they have no clue.

So I teach systems of government first. I keep it simple, not simpler.

We began with a Blooket on systems of government. It was not pretty. Every class was in the 50–60 percent range. I ran the classic Blooket format: one question, one attempt, timed. No power-ups. No second chances. Just raw retrieval.

Next, I passed out half-slips of paper describing four systems: republic, confederation, monarchy, and direct democracy. Students contributed to a Padlet with the characteristics, limitations, and a picture for each system. This took about ten minutes.

Then students read through each other’s Padlet posts and completed a Frayer for each system. I paused at one point to make an important connection — a confederation, a republic, and a direct democracy could all be lumped under democracies. And if they wanted to get technical, the confederation we created could be lumped under a republic. That idea alone was mind-blowing for some of them.

We finished class with another Blooket. In some sections I had them ponder a simple but important question: Why would the Founding Fathers choose a confederation as our first form of government?

Tuesday

Tuesday we built off our intro to systems of government with Gummy Bear Governments and a Build and Tell. We started class with a Blooket and the improvement was noticeable. Most classes were landing in the 75 to 85 percent range, which was a solid jump from the day before.

After that, I passed out gummy bears. Students created physical scenes showing the four systems of government from Monday: republic, direct democracy, monarchy, and confederation. The task was simple: define the system, build a scene that shows how it works, and explain it in writing. I encouraged them to look back at their Frayers from Monday for vocabulary and characteristics instead of just guessing.

The Build and Tell template helped keep everything clear. Each system had a place for a gummy bear scene picture and a written explanation. This helped students focus on showing how power works in each system rather than just making random candy structures.

To close out the lesson, I gave students a historical scenario from 1783 and asked them to think. The colonies had just gained independence from Great Britain. They had been ruled by a king who taxed them, controlled trade, and made decisions without their consent. Now the states were free, but they did not trust strong national power. Each state wanted to protect its own rights and independence. Students had to answer two questions: which government system would be best in that situation and which would be the worst. They also had to explain why.

It was a simple way to ease them into the mindset of the Articles of Confederation without actually teaching the Articles yet. Many students quickly ruled out monarchy for obvious reasons, but the interesting part was the debate between republic and confederation and whether protecting state power should be the priority right after independence.

Wednesday

Today was an introduction to the Articles of Confederation and Shays Rebellion. I wanted students to get a basic sense of what the Articles were trying to do, why they were written the way they were, and how those decisions created problems down the road.

We started with a Frayer on the Articles that asked students to define them, explain why Americans were afraid of a strong central government, list three things Congress could do, and identify four weaknesses. I like this structure because it slows students down just enough to process the why behind the design, not just memorize random facts.

From there we moved into Shays Rebellion using a cause and effect organizer paired with a simple who, what, when, where breakdown. The goal was to show how economic problems and weak central authority can snowball into something bigger, which is exactly what happened in Massachusetts.

To end the day, students combined both pieces, their Frayer information and their cause and effect notes, into a Sketch and Tell Comic they created on the computer. They had to visually show what the Articles were, highlight a weakness, show what event made people want to change them, and show at least one success. You could see understanding in how they chose images, captions, and layouts. It also forces them to synthesize instead of copy.

It was not a flashy day, but it laid the groundwork. Students left wondering why the government was set up this way and asking why they did not just make it stronger from the beginning. That sets us up nicely for the ordinances and the Constitutional Convention.

Thursday

This was a weird day because the 7th grade was on a field trip and I only had 8th grade. So I decided to extend the 8th grade lesson on the Articles of Confederation.

Three years ago my friend and co author Dr. Scott Petri gave me a supplemental Texas based social studies book titled Exploring the Grade 8 TEKS. He helped Mark Jarrett organize it and wrote many of the questions and activities. The book has phenomenal background information and wonderful primary sources and activities for kids to analyze. I have been using it more often lately to honor my friend.

I pulled the Articles of Confederation primary source from the book and had the students underline any powers left to the states and circle any powers given to the national government. Students read independently and it did not take long before they noticed they had a lot of underlines and very few circles.

Next they completed a treasure hunt where they located article numbers and explained what those articles stated. After that I asked a simple but important question: find an article that would have prevented the national government from stopping Shays Rebellion and explain why. Their answers showed that they were starting to connect structure to consequences.

We wrapped up with a Blooket full of Articles related questions. The students crushed it with class averages between 85 percent and 95 percent. It was great to see strong retrieval after a heavy primary source day.

Friday

Today we learned about the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. We began class with a short Blooket containing eight questions related to the ordinances and Northwest Territory. I included one Articles of Confederation question to keep those ideas in the mix. We used the classic Blooket game mode with one question, one attempt, and a timer. The class averages were 52 percent, 50 percent, 43 percent, 59 percent, and 55 percent. Not great, but it helped me see what they did not know before teaching anything.

We paused briefly to talk about the word ordinance. I pointed out that both order and ordinance begin with ord, which helped give context for how land was being organized.

Then we began a Number Mania activity using this prompt: Refute this statement with four numbers, “The Articles of Confederation were too weak to get anything done.” Students had to include four numbers with paraphrased facts, use Emoji Kitchen for pictures, add a title, and be creative.

Surprisingly, many students did not know the word refute. I have seen that word many times on high stakes tests, so it was worth slowing down and teaching it. The activity itself was interesting because it forced students to look for successes under the Articles, which is a nice counterbalance to the constant focus on weaknesses.

After the Number Mania, students completed a Thin Slide Faceoff comparing the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and finding a similarity. One picture, one word, one explanation. Then partners combined their individual slides into one Thin Slide that showed similarities and differences.

We closed out with the same Blooket from the beginning of class. This time the averages were 83 percent, 75 percent, 80 percent, 89 percent, and 95 percent. A successful day and a huge improvement from the start of class.

Lessons for the Week

Monday – Frayer

Tuesday – Gummy Bear Government

Wednesday – Articles Rack and Stack

Thursday – Not Available

Friday – Ordinances Rack and Stack

This week was a weird one heading into winter break.

Monday started as a two-hour delay, but the cold did not play nicely with the salt. Roads iced over, conditions got worse, and the day was eventually called off. Over the weekend, I had a freak accident and hit my head, which led to concussion symptoms. Headache and dizziness lingered into Monday and Tuesday, so I missed school on Tuesday.

Then Thursday morning hit. I woke up at 2 a.m. with an awful pinched nerve in my shoulder. Sometimes the pain is manageable. Sometimes it creeps up to a seven or eight. This one was a solid seven or eight. I tried to push through and go in anyway, but I could not make it. I left early and went to urgent care, and I am glad I did. The pain is gone.

Because of all that, this was not a week to start anything new. Instead, I kept it simple. We focused on one core question: why the British lost the Revolutionary War. We did not get into individual battles, specific people, or detailed comparisons between the two sides. This week was about framing the story and building understanding before the details.

Tuesday

Tuesday was about finishing strong.

Students wrapped up their Netflix-style assessment for the Declaring Independence unit. I had very clear instructions typed up, and everything centered on one guiding question: what convinced the colonists that independence was worth the risk?

Each “episode” had a purpose.

Episode one focused on Lexington. Not just as a battle, but as British soldiers acting as police, enforcing laws, and ultimately killing colonists. We framed this as a civil conflict where natural rights were being violated. That moment mattered because it shifted the relationship. This was no longer about protests or complaints. Something had broken.

Episode two moved into ideas. John Locke and Thomas Paine. Natural rights and the social contract. But just as important was Paine’s ability to communicate those ideas in a way regular people could understand. Independence was radical. Paine made it relatable. He helped people see themselves in the argument and believe it was possible.

The final episode centered on the Declaration of Independence. The point of no return. Once that document was signed, there was no walking it back. The risk was real, but so was the commitment.

Looking back, it almost follows a hero’s journey without actually being one. A problem emerges. Beliefs are challenged. A decision is made that changes everything. Not because it fits a template, but because that is often how history actually unfolds.

Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday and Thursday were about keeping things simple and intentional.

I did not have the time or the capacity this week to dive into Revolutionary War battles or a long list of people. I also did not want to be staring at screens because of the concussion. So instead of forcing something new or flashy, we slowed things down and went analog.

We did a paper-based stations activity built around one question: Why did the British lose the Revolutionary War? Students rotated through eight stations with an organizer, pulling evidence and ideas from a mix of primary and secondary sources. They read letters, watched a short video, and analyzed different explanations without me front-loading anything.

Before we started, I told them why I designed the lesson this way. Three years ago, a student asked me, “Mr. Moler, did we win the Revolutionary War?” That question stuck with me. It was a reminder that what feels obvious to us as adults or teachers is not always obvious to students. I wanted to make sure I covered my bases and made it clear that yes, the colonies did win.

I also explained that I could have framed the lesson as why the Americans won. Instead, I intentionally framed it as why the British lost. The most powerful military in the world lost to a group that, on paper, looked untrained, unorganized, and outmatched. That framing creates curiosity. It forces students to think deeper about strategy, geography, leadership, motivation, and mistakes rather than just memorizing victories.

Students used the stations to build their own explanation and then wrote a clear response answering the question. No slides. No devices. Just thinking, reading, and writing.

That lesson carried into Thursday.

For early finishers, I pulled out a John Meehan lesson that works like a choose-your-own-adventure through the life of a soldier. Students learned about training, pay, food, daily conditions, and how soldiers actually fought. I paired it with a Sketch and Tell-O, where students drew one idea and shared one thing they learned.

It was low-tech, calm, and exactly what this week needed.

Friday

Friday was controlled chaos in the best possible way.

We did an ugly Christmas sweater party, but not the store-bought kind. We made them history-style. Students could choose any topic we covered during the first part of the school year and turn it into an ugly sweater design. Ideas were everywhere. Colonization, natural rights, mercantilism, battles, documents. Markers, paper, and laughter took over the room.

At some point in the middle of all this, a group of students started trying to draw me. Then they tried to draw me as George Washington. That is when I said the most 2025 sentence I have probably said all year: “ChatGPT can do that.”

I took my face, took George Washington’s face, and had ChatGPT merge them together. Then I turned it into a coloring page. It was ridiculous. It was hilarious. And the kids lost it.

More than anything, it felt like the perfect way to end the first half of the school year. Creative. Low pressure. Connected to content. A reminder that learning does not always need to be heavy to be meaningful. Sometimes it just needs to be human.

Heading into winter break, that felt right.

Lessons for the Week

Tuesday – Netflix Template, Netflix Directions

Wednesday – Rev. War Stations, Rev War Organizer

Thursday – Life of a Soldier, Sketch and Tell-o

Friday – Ugly Sweater Template

Monday

Setting the Stage for the Declaration

Monday was all about setting the stage for the Declaration of Independence. This was not the deep dive yet. It was about building background knowledge and telling the story behind the document.

We started with an image of the Declaration itself. I told the story of Thomas Jefferson writing it. Jefferson was a quiet, soft spoken individual, not someone who demanded attention, but someone who could write like no one else. That contrast always hooks students. You do not have to be loud to be powerful.

From Words to Action

From there, we talked about what happened after the Declaration was approved. It was not just signed and forgotten. It was read aloud throughout the colonies. That moment led perfectly into an image of the King George statue being pulled down at Bowling Green Park in New York City.

I used cleanup.pictures to remove a few details from the image and turned it into a spot the difference activity. I made six changes, just enough to slow students down and make them really look.

Making It Real

I shared photos from my own visit to Bowling Green Park to help make the moment feel real instead of textbook flat. Since we were heading toward Hamilton’s You’ll Be Back, I also shared an image of Alexander Hamilton’s gravesite, which is right nearby. Small details like that help students realize history happened in real places with real people.

Retelling the Story With Numbers

We ended the day with a reading and a Number Mania activity. Students retold the story of the Declaration of Independence using numbers like dates, ages, totals, and time spans.

I also showed students the new Building Blocks feature in Google Slides, which makes it much easier to create a clean template for Number Mania. The students did a really nice job pulling together meaningful numbers, retelling the story, and showing creativity in how they organized their slides.

It was a strong way to start the week and set us up for the deeper work to come.

Tuesday Through Friday

Revisiting Locke Before the Declaration

Before we officially started analyzing the Declaration of Independence, I wanted to pause and go back to John Locke. Students had learned about him earlier, but I wanted to see what stuck.

I wrote a paragraph about John Locke, natural rights, and the social contract and embedded four errors into the text. Students had to find the mistakes and correct them. This worked really well. They were locked in, talking through ideas, and justifying why something did or did not make sense. It was one of those moments where you can tell the thinking is actually happening.

Nachos, Errors, and the Declaration

A lot of what came next was inspired by my friend Dominic Helmstetter. He shared a lesson sequence he used with the Declaration that included Annotate and Tell, 3xPOV, Retell in Rhyme, and Taylor Swift. I borrowed heavily and made it my own.

We kicked things off with a Helmstetter classic, the Nacho Thin Slide. About four weeks ago, I was challenged to incorporate chips and salsa into a lesson. Students forgot. I did not.

I had chips and salsa out and waiting. Two slides were posted, each with four statements connected to the Declaration of Independence Number Mania reading. Three of the statements had errors. Students had to find and correct them while eating chips and salsa and discussing the Declaration. It was loud, focused, and surprisingly productive.

The Greatest Breakup Letter Ever Written

Next came an introduction to a new question. Who said it, Taylor Swift or Travis Kelce?

We looked at breakup lines and talked about tone, message, and purpose. I kept coming back to the idea that the Declaration of Independence might be the greatest breakup letter ever written. That framing stuck with them and carried into the rest of the week.

Chunking and Translating the Declaration

Over the next couple of days, we read and annotated the Declaration in sections. We focused on the preamble, the purpose of government in the preamble, the grievances, and the closing statement.

As we worked through each section, I challenged students to summarize the meaning using modern language. This was easily one of their favorite parts. They had fun translating eighteenth century ideas into words they would actually use, while still trying to keep the meaning intact.

Three Perspectives, Three Minutes Each

Once students had a solid understanding of the document, we shifted to writing from different perspectives. Students wrote from the point of view of King George, Patriots, and Loyalists.

They wrote for three minutes per perspective. I used Hamilton songs as timers. When students wrote as King George, I used You’ll Be Back as the timer, which felt both appropriate and hilarious. The time pressure kept them moving, and the music helped set the tone for each perspective.

Retell in Rhyme

The final piece of the lesson was Retell in Rhyme. This year, I have been trying to honor my co-author and friend Dr. Scott Petri by intentionally using some of the lessons he created. Retell in Rhyme is one I do not normally use, but I decided to give it a shot with the Declaration of Independence.

By this point, students had annotated the document, written from three perspectives, and discussed its meaning multiple times. Retell in Rhyme felt like the right capstone.

Students partnered up and created rhymes explaining the meaning of the Declaration. Some stuck to the minimum of three couplets. Most went way beyond that. I got the idea from Dominic Helmstetter, and I know Scott would have approved.

I took their poems and converted them into songs. I wish I could have let students design their own songs, but the AI platform Udio was blocked. So I did it myself and shared the links with them.

The results were awesome.

We ended with a listening party and played “Bop or Flop.” Students voted, reacted, laughed, and genuinely enjoyed hearing their work come to life.

1. Song 1 Link
2. Song 2 Link
3. Song 3 Link
4. Song 4 Link
5. Song 5 Link

It was one of those moments that reminded me why trying something new is worth it.

Lessons for the Week

Monday – DOI Number Mania, John Locke Errors Fix

Tuesday – Friday – Nacho Thin Slide, DOI Analysis

Monday

We kicked off the week by jumping straight into one of the most confusing and debated moments in early American history, the Battle of Lexington. The goal wasn’t just to learn what happened, but to help students build their own interpretations using evidence, perspective, and context. And honestly? Monday delivered.

A Documentary Hook

We opened with a three minute clip from the brand-new Ken Burns American Revolution documentary. I paused right as the first shot cracked across the screen. That moment became the anchor for everything that came next.

DIG Sources + 3xPOV

Students shifted into the Digital Inquiry lesson and worked through the primary sources. This is where the magic of 3xPOV really showed up. With two minutes per perspective, British soldier, Minuteman, and eyewitness, they built quick, evidence-based claims to explain what happened on Lexington Green.

Their writing showed real thinking:

• Students picked up on how quickly things escalated.
• They noted that both sides described the other as the first to act.
• Many picked up on fear, confusion, miscommunication, and split-second choices.

The 3xPOV sheets became messy, thoughtful, and honest—exactly what you want when you’re teaching kids how historians work.

Revisiting the Clip

Once students had shaped their ideas using the sources, we returned to the documentary and watched the next stretch. This time, they were watching with purpose. They weren’t just taking in the story, they were comparing interpretations, checking details, and refining what they thought happened.

That second viewing hit differently. You could see lightbulbs turning on as students layered new information onto their earlier ideas.

Back to the Compelling Question

Everything we did on Monday came back to the heartbeat of the unit: What convinced the colonists that independence was worth the risk?

Students started connecting Lexington to the bigger picture of natural rights, fear of losing self-government, and the sense that British actions were crossing a line. A few student responses from the day captured that shift:

• “They believed Britain was taking away their natural rights and threatening their lives.”
• “If they lost self-government, they had nothing. That’s what convinced them to fight.”

You could feel the unit starting to come together. Not because students memorized facts, but because they experienced how a single moment in history can change everything.

Wednesday

Wednesday was one of those beautiful 30 minute classes where everything had to be tight, intentional, and fast moving. The goal was simple: build student understanding of John Locke and connect his ideas directly to our compelling question about independence being worth the risk.

Frayer x2: Enlightenment + Locke

We opened with a quick double Frayer Model, one for the Enlightenment and one for John Locke. Students worked to define the ideas, identify characteristics, and connect them to symbols. Even in a short block, you could see the shift. Students started recognizing that the Enlightenment was not just old European thinking, but a spark that reshaped how people viewed rights, power, and authority.

Parafly Meets Sketch and Tell / Emoji Kitchen

Next, we moved into Parafly, paraphrasing definitions for natural rights and social contract. Instead of stopping at words, students paired their paraphrases with visuals through Sketch and Tell or Emoji Kitchen.
This is where things clicked. The images pushed them to internalize the meanings.

• Natural rights became images of protection, individuality, or freedom
• Social contract became governments chosen by the people, ballots, or agreements

Their sketches said just as much as their sentences.

Putting It All Together

To close the loop, students answered our supporting question: How did John Locke’s ideas influence the colonists in their dispute with the British government?

Their thinking showed real growth in just 30 minutes.

• They connected the ideas of ignored rights to the colonists’ rising frustration.
• They recognized that Locke offered options, the idea that people could question, replace, or revise a government that violated their rights.
• They linked Enlightenment philosophy to colonial action: “suppression was not their only choice.”

Even in the short class period, students stacked multiple exposures: vocabulary, visuals, paraphrasing, and application. They walked out with a clearer understanding of why ideas mattered as much as events.

Thursday and Friday

To close the week, we shifted from battles and philosophies to one of the most influential voices of the entire Revolution. This was our introduction to Thomas Paine and Common Sense, and once again the Ken Burns documentary became the perfect anchor. This was the third time we used it in this unit, and it continues to be such a valuable tool. PBS keeps posting clips, and if they keep doing that I will keep finding ways to use them. The storytelling is incredible.

Archetype Four Square with the Documentary Clip

We opened with a four minute clip on Thomas Paine. Students had the Archetype Four Square template in front of them on paper, and after watching the clip they talked in groups to answer a simple question: which archetype fits Paine?

Their answers were all over the map in the best possible way.

• Some saw him as a rebel.
• Others argued he was a creator.
• A few made a case for sage.
• One group claimed he was basically a magician because of the way he transformed public opinion.

Everyone had evidence and everyone had a justification. It was a strong discussion that showed how open ended archetype work can be when the content is rich.

Reading Paine’s Words for Ourselves

Next, students moved into reading excerpts from Common Sense. One excerpt connected directly back to the documentary clip, where historians mentioned that Paine called the king a literal beast. Students lit up when they saw it in print. It helped them understand that Paine’s writing was bold, emotional, and designed to stir people into action.

Using Parafly, students translated Paine’s original words into clearer language. The goal was not to simplify the ideas, but to make them accessible so the message could stand out.

I asked students, “Which event must have been on Paine’s mind when he wrote that?”
Their retrieval was strong. Boston Massacre. Tax laws. Early British crackdowns. They pulled events from previous lessons and connected them to Paine’s anger and urgency.

Then we pushed further. Students responded to How do you think John Locke inspired these words?
They began seeing what historians always emphasize. Ideas do not appear out of nowhere. One moment shapes the next, one writer builds on another, and everything connects.

Ending the Week with a 2xPOV and a Mystery

To close the lesson, we returned to the consistency of POV writing from earlier in the week. Students wrote for three minutes from the perspective of a neutral colonist answering: If you were a neutral colonist and read Common Sense, would it sway you?

Then they switched roles and wrote as a loyalist. If you read Common Sense as a loyalist, how would you feel and what would you say?

Once students finished their writing, I set up the final moment of the day. Sitting on a small stool in the center of the room were a set of fake bones. Students walked in and noticed them immediately, but I did not explain them until the end. After we wrapped the 2xPOV, I told them the story of Thomas Paine’s bones, scattered across the world after his death because of the controversy surrounding his life and ideas.

It was the perfect unexpected hook to end the week. Students left the room talking about Paine, his writing, his influence, and now his bones. It tied everything together in a way that was memorable and a little strange, which is exactly how good history class should feel.

Lessons for the Week

Monday – Battle of Lexington (DIG), 3xPOV

Wednesday – John Locke Rack and Stack

Thursday and Friday – Thomas Paine Rack and Stack

Monday

Monday was one of those keep the storyline going days. We are still building the Road to the Revolution, but instead of dumping vocab or giving kids a list of causes, I am trying to tell it like an actual unfolding story through the people who lived it.

I pulled a short video from the American Battlefield Trust that covered the Boston Tea Party and the punishments that followed. I had a moment where I thought, “We could totally Number Mania this.” Looking back, I probably should have done it with a new twist. My brain was foggy and I did not have the creative energy to reinvent the wheel on a Monday morning.

Instead we kept it simple. Students answered the question: What was the significance of the Boston Tea Party? It was straightforward, but it pushed them to think beyond “they dumped tea.”

Then we moved into a Sketch and Tell O on the punishments from the Intolerable Acts. It was quick, visual, and it worked for our shortened 30 minute classes.

The highlight of the day was bringing in a diary entry from John Adams. He admired the boldness of the Tea Party but also feared what might come next. He predicted the Intolerable Acts before they happened. That got the kids attention.

I paired the letter with the Main, Side, Hidden strategy we have been using:
• The main idea of Adams reflection
• The side ideas he mentions
• The hidden message sitting underneath his words

Even in a short class period, they pulled out solid thinking. For a shortened schedule day, that felt like a win.

Tuesday

Tuesday kept the story moving. We shifted into the First Continental Congress and started with a Frayer. I linked a short reading in the middle of it so they had context before filling it out. Students had to define the First Continental Congress, list people who were there, list characteristics, and include a picture. It was simple and structured, and it helped them see this meeting as an actual event with real people, not just a vocabulary term.

Next we moved into an Annotate and Tell with the Declaration of Resolves. I had to explain two things right away. First, resolves are agreements. Second, the abbreviation N C D is Latin for nobody disagreed. Kids get tripped up by things like that, so clearing it upfront helped them focus on the meaning.

For annotation I gave them these prompts:

• Highlight any phrase that says what rights colonists deserve.
• Underline any violations of those rights.

And they answered:

1. What are the colonists saying they deserve
2. How does Britain take those rights away
3. If you had to explain this whole document in two simple sentences, what would you say

To close out the lesson, I had students write a haiku. It worked perfectly because it connected to what they have been doing in language arts. This is the second time I have overlapped with language arts. The first time was when they wrote a summary using the somebody wanted but so then format. It was awesome to see them use a skill from one class and apply it in another.

Wednesday and Thursday

By midweek it was time to wrap up the unit, and I decided the summative assessment would be a one pager. Not a decorative one. An argumentative one. Students had to explain the reasons loyal colonists began fighting against their own government, and they also had to explain why some colonists would have chosen to stay loyal. It asked them to balance perspective, make a claim, and show their thinking.

Setting it up felt good, and I did not fully realize why until later in the afternoon. Two parents were touring the school and stopped by my room. My students were scattered around the room working, thinking, revising, and asking me questions about their ideas. One parent asked what they were doing, so I explained the one pager and mentioned that this was their test for the unit. She looked surprised, so I explained it a little more.

I said something like, “I am not a traditional teacher. I do not think learning is circling A, B, or C. Learning should feel different. It should keep going. We always talk about wanting lifelong learners. Assessments like this actually support that. The best part is the conversations I get to have while they work. They ask how to word ideas, how one event connects to another, and why certain actions mattered. Those moments are real learning.”

She paused for a second and then said she agreed. It felt like she had not considered that idea before. The truth is, I had not really considered it in that way either until I heard myself say it out loud.

These one pagers, and really any nontraditional assessment we have done this year, whether a Netflix summary, a hexagonal web, or an annotated map, naturally create conversation. Kids stop and think. They ask questions. They revise. They explain. When I gave a traditional test at the start of the year, none of that happened.

I think we often treat a summative assessment like a finish line. You know it or you do not, and then we move on. This assessment pushed back on that idea. It became part of the learning, not the end of it. And it reminded me that when we design assessments that invite curiosity instead of shutting it down, students rise to it.

Friday

Friday was exactly what we needed. We played Gimanji, an Alexis Turnbull classic, and it was the perfect way to head into a long break. We mixed Kahoot, Gimkit, Quizizz, and Blooket into one big review of everything we have learned this year. The kids were into it, the energy was high, and the room felt light after a heavy unit.

I like Gimanji because it does not feel like a test review. It feels like a celebration of what they know. They laugh, they compete, and they surprise themselves with how much they remember. It is the kind of day that ends a week on a high note and sends everyone out the door in a good mood.

Lessons This Week

Monday – Sketch and Tell-o, John Adams Diary

Tuesday – 1st Continental Congress Rack and Stack

Wednesday/Thursday – One Pager Directions